Serendipity
by Bria
Summary: Sitting alone at a table near the café window was a bloke wearing a leather jacket and reading a newspaper as he ate his meal. Unless she was quite mistaken, Rose Tyler thought as she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, he was also making faces at her little brother. Nine/Rose AU.


Disclaimer: Doctor Who isn't mine. If it was things would be quite different. The BBC owns all and I bow before them.

Written for timepetalsprompts on tumblr and their weekly prompt (provided this week by ofstormsandwolves): my toddler keeps staring at you, I'm really sorry.

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"C'mon Tony, love, please?" Rose Tyler pleaded with her little brother as she brought the spoon to his mouth. At two and a half years, Tony was firmly in the 'terrible twos' stage, and while she loved him to pieces, she was also thankful she rarely had to feed him. However, with her parents off on an anniversary weekend, this was one of the times he was entirely in her charge.

"No!" Tony turned his head to the side and stubbornly refused to eat. It had been going on all day. He hadn't eaten a bite a breakfast, turning his head at everything she had tried, and it was the same story at lunch. At her wits end, Rose had taken him to her favorite café, hoping maybe a change of scenery and macaroni and cheese (his favorite) would entice him, but no such luck.

"Fine." She told him with resignation. "You're going to get hungry at some point." She tucked into her grilled cheese and tomato soup and made a great show of eating it. Perhaps watching her eat would accomplish what she so far had failed to do.

That thought was quickly dashed though as Tony stared intently behind her. At least he wasn't fussing, she thought. Once she finished her meal, she finally turned to see what had captured Tony's attention.

Sitting alone at a table near the café window was a bloke wearing a leather jacket and reading a newspaper as he ate his meal. Unless she was quite mistaken, she thought as she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, he was also making faces at her little brother. _Probably didn't appreciate being stared at,_ she figured _._

Rose cleaned up their table with a sigh and picked Tony up in her arms. She walked over to the table by the window and cleared her throat.

The man looked up at her and Rose felt her heart skip a beat. He wasn't handsome in the traditional pretty boy type she normally went for, but _oh_ … he was gorgeous in his own right. Ice blue eyes, a chiseled jaw, and prominent ears that were rather adorable. But of course he was old enough to be her father from the look of it (a young father, but father nonetheless). Go figure, the first guy she felt an instant attraction to since she broke up with Mickey two months ago would be someone her mum would find so shocking. Not that his age in relation to hers mattered. She had only come over to apologize.

"I'm sorry," she told him. "Tony must have been staring at you for a good ten minutes."

The bloke smiled at her and shook his head. "Was just reading the news and your son seemed to like me making faces at him." The words came out on in a Northern accent that made her feel warm inside.

 _Oh, so he hadn't minded the staring,_ she thought with surprise. But then her brain caught up with his words. "Oh no, he's not mine."

"He looks just like you, except for the red hair."

Rose looked at Tony fondly. "Yeah, he's my little brother. A surprise mum and dad weren't expecting."

"Ah. Well he's beautiful." The man grinned at her and extended his hand. "I'm the Doctor."

"The Doctor," she deadpanned. "That supposed to be impressive?" She tucked her tongue between her teeth and grinned at him as she shook his hand.

He frowned and looked affronted. "I am impressive! Got a doctorate in mechanical engineering, me." He pushed his jacket to the side and she saw a mechanics shirt, and sure enough, it did say, 'The Doctor.'

"I'm sorry," she hasted to assure him. "Just never had someone introduce themselves by a title. I'm Rose Tyler. This is Tony."

Tony took that moment to notice a banana sitting on the Doctor's plate and reached for it with grabby hands.

"Tony, no!"

"It's alright," the Doctor said as he smiled at the little boy. "Now that's a smart little brother you got. Bananas are good!" He shifted his gaze to Rose. "He can have it, if it's alright with you. I'm a bit full from my chili."

"You sure you don't mind?" Rose asked, just to be certain. She liked the idea of Tony finally eating something, but it didn't feel quite right to take a near stranger's food.

"Aye, not at all. You can sit down, both of you." He got up and pulled out the chair next to him, as well as the one next to that.

She placed Tony in the chair across from the Doctor, and then sat down between them. She took the banana that had been offered and peeled back the skin for the little boy.

"Thank you so much. He hasn't eaten anything all day."

"You're welcome."

Silence fell between them and finally the Doctor broke it. "My name's John Noble, but I really do go by the Doctor. I own Bessie's Auto Shop over on Northumberland Ave."

"Bessie?" Rose lifted an eyebrow, not expecting an auto shop to be named after a woman. "That your wife?"

"Nope," the Doctor laughed. "It's just me. Bessie was my first car. She was a beautiful old fashioned yellow roadster. I loved from the day I got her at eighteen until her engine gave out two decades later…" his voice was wistful as he trailed off.

"You must really love cars," Rose mused.

"That I do. They speak to me and I understand them. Working on engines, getting my hands dirty, I enjoy it."

Rose smiled at him. "Sounds like you've found your place."

"I like to think so." The Doctor paused for few moments before he continued. "I could do with a bit more, but it does make me happy."

"That's what's important. I work at Henrik's and I hate it, but it pays the bills while I go to school."

"What're studying," the Doctor queried.

"Art history and painting. Mum and dad were concerned at first, being an artist can be a hard occupation to make a living in, but they know I love it. And with the art history, I can also work in the field too."

"That's wonderful!" The Doctor grinned at her. "My mum was appalled by my choice of studies, insisted the only proper doctor was a medical one, but my granddad and sister are supportive."

By this time Tony had finished the banana (thankfully eating all of it), and was getting fussy.

"We should probably get going," she said to the Doctor. "Thank you again for the banana."

The Doctor nodded and after a moments hesitation reached into the pocket on his leather jacket and pulled out a business card and handed it to her.

 _Bessie's Auto Shop, 1482 Northerumberland Ave, London,_ it read, along with a phone number _._ "If you ever need auto work, come on by," he said. "I'll give you a good deal."

"And what if I ride the bus because I don't have a car?"

The Doctor's face fell. "Then maybe we'll run into each other again here."

"I do have a car." Rose grinned at him. "I was just asking. I ride the bus a lot to save on gas, but I go to school in Manchester and use it to get home on the weekends or when I watch Tony. It's in need of an oil change…"

"Stop by anytime and ask for me."

"Mum and dad are back this evening. How about 10am tomorrow morning?"

"Fantastic!" The Doctor beamed at her.

"I'll see you then," she nodded and flashed him a tongue touched smile before she departed the café with Tony.

Maybe nothing would come of this in the long run, but just maybe, something would.


End file.
